The Senate

A grand palace now housing the workings of government. It is on one edge of the Luxembourg Gardens and is usually so well guarded by armed men and women that you even look at it with caution. 

So to be able to go inside today, and at no cost, was an invitation difficult to refuse. 

We went toward the queue, but the normal path was fenced off. To gain access you needed to exit the gardens and rejoin them further round. 

First the armed check on your bags. Then a half hour wait in the queue (not too bad on a nice day). 

Blocks of queuing people were released along the fenced path to the entrance. Once inside, all accessories went through the x-Ray machine and us through the metal detector. 

If anyone used to own this place before the French government did, they have been completely forgotten. Everything here is French government, even down to the amazingly painted ceilings, and at times, the walls. 

Here are some phone pictures. The library, the reception hall and central dome, and the senate meeting room itself. I have often seen this in the news, it looks just the same in reality but the high half dome is out of shot. 

We walked round it all and retired home well walked out. 

The Senate. 

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How to Luxembourg Garden

Luxembourg Gardens. 

And there are lots of events on to celebrate world heritage day. Our first stop is the Orangery. 

Here are exhibits and explanations about the planting in the gardens. There are outside displays too. 

The photos show the pot plants, and how they have to be repotted every 10 years (if I remember correctly). Looking at the roots here, this tree is due for a new pot, but it is huge! There is a gantry system just to put it in this place. 

Then they explain how to graft and train fruit trees, and why. But more exotically, and very Frenchly, they show how to mask the fruit so that it grows with the producer's badge coloured on its skin. 

Next stop is the Senate, France's seat of government. 

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Do it yourself lunch

You can see some lovely food being cooked in some tiny frying pans. This is our lunch date and our French host quipped "you can blog your friends that you were invited to lunch and had to cook it yourselves!"  So I have. 

In fact there is a lot of preparation involved before we arrived and started cooking. The meat is beef but is quite red from the delicious marinade. There are peppers and vegetables cut up and marinaded too; and with some rice on the side. 

And we have 2 sets of chopsticks each. A short pair to select and place food in our pan(s), and a long pair to eat with. 

And so we spent a happy lunchtime with our French host and his Filipino wife. But the food is Taiwanese. 

The cooker on the table is an electrically heated hot stone where you can fry on top or grill below. It is for cheese dishes but our hosts did not find that to their taste. So here it is adapted to their Asian menu, and very nice it was too, as you can tell from the smiles on our faces!

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